December 30, 2006

Two longtime Mitsubishi employees and parents from California have founded a new nonprofit organization, Kids Safety First (KSF) to provide free automotive child safety materials to police, fire and rescue, schools and prenatal centers throughout the United States. Jorgen Weterrings and P.K. Shrivastava, who collectively have over 35 years of experience in auto technology and safety, have launched the new organization by working with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety to create cards and posters in English and Spanish, a coloring book and stickers for children, promotional t-shirts and a comprehensive website that shares child passenger safety information in English, Spanish, Japanese and Chinese. They've also developed a video in both English and Spanish, and all of their materials are currently being translated into Chinese, with the help of the Irvine, CA Police Department. To date, they have already distributed over one million sets of materials in 25 states. To learn more, click here:

LATCH Child Safety Seat System Confusing Says NHTSA Study

Too many parents are still not properly using the new safety LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) technology designed to better secure child safety seats to vehicles because of a lack of education about the system and how to use it according to a new study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released today.

“LATCH was supposed to simplify child safety seat installation for parents and this study shows that isn’t happening.” said NHTSA Administrator Nicole R. Nason.

When it became fully effective in September 2002, the Agency had hoped LATCH would make child safety seats easier for parents to use. LATCH is an installation system that was created to standardize the way child safety seats are attached to vehicles without having to use a seat belt. LATCH consists of two lower attachments and an upper tether on a child safety seat that anchors and connects with lower anchors and a top tether built into a vehicle’s back seat.

The survey found that 40 percent of parents still rely on the vehicles’ seat belts when installing their car seat. It also indicated many parents are unaware of the existence of or the importance of the tethers when securing the seat to the vehicle and only 55 percent of parents using the top tether.

Administrator Nason said as a result that she intends to bring LATCH stakeholders, the auto manufacturers, the car seat manufacturers, the retailers and the consumer activists, together early next year to discuss ways to make the safety system more efficient.

Details of the LATCH survey can by found here.

*Note: Washington was one of the eight participating states

New guidelines for developing traffic safety educational materials for Spanish speakers are now available. You can download a 100-page booklet from the

Early registration deadline is February 9, 2007 http://www.lifesaversconference.org/ for the 2007

Lifesavers Conference. March 25-27, in Chicago, IL

Lifesavers is the premier national highway safety meeting in the United States dedicated to reducing the tragic toll of deaths and injuries on our nation's roadways. On this, Lifesavers 25^th anniversary, the program will feature tracks on Child Passenger Safety and Teen Drivers, and sessions on primary enforcement, building coalitions, and the Safe Routes to School program.

Peters takes oath, joins Bush Cabinet
Bloomberg News
10/18/2006   

WASHINGTON - Mary Peters was sworn in Tuesday as the nation's 15th transportation secretary, taking a job that President Bush said was crucial to U.S. economic security.

The government "must find fresh angles and ways to improve the performance of our transportation systems," Peters said during a ceremony in the Transportation Department's headquarters.

Economic growth is putting increasing strain on the nation's infrastructure, she said, and funding is "less and less able to keep pace with that demand."

Peters will lead a 60,000-person department that oversees transportation security, monitors road safety and regulates pipelines. She has said she will focus on easing traffic congestion, enacting an aviation treaty with the European Union and resetting fuel-economy standards for automakers.

Bush said the transportation secretary "plays an important role in our nation's coordinated efforts to guard against terrorist threats to our aircraft, seaports and infrastructure."

Peters, 57, succeeds Norman Mineta, who left Bush's Cabinet in July. She had worked under Mineta as federal highway administrator from 2001 until July 2005, when she resigned to join HDR, a Phoenix-based engineering company.

Peters served as transportation director in her home state of Arizona before heading the Federal Highway Administration. In the federal post, she sought more private investment in U.S. roads and promoted new technologies to help boost highway safety.

Bush and Peters also used the occasion to praise Mineta, who was among those attending the swearing-in. Mineta was the only Democrat in Bush's Cabinet and was the longest serving U.S. transportation secretary.

"As I've told you, Secretary Mineta, it is no small feat to fill your shoes," Peters said after taking the oath of office from Joshua Bolten, White House chief of staff.

BIO From DOT Website:

Mary E. Peters
SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION

Mary E. Peters was nominated by President George W. Bush on September 5, 2006, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the 15th Secretary of Transportation on September 30, 2006, after spending more than two decades crafting solutions to our nation's toughest transportation challenges.

Secretary Peters brings a unique perspective to her role as the nation’s transportation chief, having spent her career working on transportation issues in the private and public sectors, including leading both federal and state transportation agencies. This hands-on experience allows her to understand and appreciate the real-life aspects of planning, building and operating transportation systems on local, regional and state levels.

Over her 20-plus years in transportation, Secretary Peters has earned a solid reputation as an innovative problem solver, a force for safety and a strong advocate for effective use of taxpayer dollars. As Secretary of Transportation, she intends to use these same skills to tackle today’s most pressing challenges including fighting congestion across all modes of transportation, improving safety and addressing strains on traditional sources of transportation funding.

She is responsible for maintaining a safe, reliable and efficient transportation system, while leading an agency with almost 60,000 employees and a $61.6 billion budget that oversees air, maritime and surface transportation missions.

Prior to joining President Bush’s Cabinet, Peters worked in Phoenix, AZ, as the national director for transportation policy and consulting at HDR, Inc., a major engineering firm. She was responsible for building a management consulting practice and formulating public policy initiatives for the firm's transportation program.

In 2001, the President asked Peters to lead the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). As FHWA Administrator from 2001 to 2005, she placed special emphasis on finding new ways to invest in road and bridge construction, including innovative public-private partnerships that help build roads faster and at less expense. She also was a strong advocate for using new technology to reduce construction time, saving taxpayer money and resulting in safer, longer-lasting roads and highways.

From 1985 to 2001, she served in the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT). During her tenure, Peters worked her way up through the ranks as a contract administrator, deputy director for administration, and deputy director. In 1998, then-Governor Jane Hull appointed her director of the agency. While in office, she was recognized as the Most Influential Person in Arizona Transportation by the Arizona Business Journal.

Secretary Peters received the 2004 National Woman of the Year Award from the Women’s Transportation Seminar, a national organization of transportation professionals. She chaired the Standing Committee on Planning and the Asset Management Task Force for the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHTO), and was a member of the AASHTO 2001 Reauthorization Steering Committee.

A fourth-generation Arizonan and an avid motorcyclist, Secretary Peters holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Phoenix and attended Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government Program for State and Local Government Executives. She and her husband, Terry, have three grown children, and five grandchildren.

December 27, 2005

The following Research Notes are now available on the NCSA website:

• "Safety Belt Use in 2005 – Demographic Results" (DOT-HS 809-969)
• "Safety Belt Use in 2005 -- Use Rates in the States and Territories" (DOT-HS 809-970)
  (Get the whole story here)

August 29, 2005

DOT Announces Record Low Highway Fatality Rate in 2004

The fatality rate on the nation's highways in 2004 was the lowest since record-keeping began 30 years ago, the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced today. The number of alcohol-related fatalities also dropped for the second straight year.
(Get the whole story here)

July 2, 2005

NHTSA's Northwest Regional website is being updated.

If technicians know of any conferences, meetings, or trainings that should be listed there, please let Rosemary Nye, Deputy Regional Administrator know about them. She will need the name of the contact person, their e-mail address and telephone number as well as the date, time and place of event. Check out their site at www.nhtsa.gov/nhtsa/whatis/regions/Region10/index.html

February 27, 2005

The National Partnership on Booster Seat Safety has launched a new Web site to promote the use of booster seats...

for children who have outgrown their child safety seats but are not ready to use standard seat belts. The Web site is managed by the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition (HMHB) with support from the CarMax Foundation; the site is part of an effort to expand HMHB's work on occupant-protection issues. The Web site's resources page contains links to federal recommendations, a list of recalled products, videotape demonstrations for parents, a database of state laws, state-by-state reports of crashes involving children, creative resources for teachers, and more. The site is intended for use by families, health professionals, and policymakers in their efforts to save lives and prevent injury through booster seat safety education and advocacy. The Web site is available at www.boostkids.org

February 27, 2005

Riley Children's Hospital now national resource for special needs transportation

Child Passenger Safety Technicians now have a major resource for help with questions pertaining to the proper transportation of infants and children with special needs. Riley Hospital Indianapolis, Indiana has received funding to become the new national resource center for this important issue. The program manager is Janell Havey. The phone number for questions is: 1-800-755-0912. Soon there will also be a list-serve on this topic.

February 20, 2005

Bill in Legislature requires restraint use by children to age 8 and provides liability protection for CPS Technicians

Substitute House Bill 1475 to upgrade Washington's Child Restraint Law has left the House Transportation Committee. If passed by both houses it will require child restraint by a child up to age 8 unless the child is 4'9" tall; and will provide liability protection for currently certified CPS Technicians doing education or car seat checks.

get the full story

http://www.tvw.org/MediaPlayer/Archived/WME.cfm?EVNum=2005021075&TYPE=A
Above is a link to the TVW website where you can hear the testimony offered by the Department of Health, Washington Traffic Safety from the House Transportation Committee on substitute House Bill 1475

February 20, 2005

The Tween Traffic Safety Initiative

The new Tween Traffic Safety Initiative is an effort to explore how communities can encourage innovative approaches to tween traffic safety and increase the use of proper restraint procedures for tween vehicle passengers.

Want to join the tweensafety.org online community? Sign up for our listserv. For the time being, this will be mostly a distribution list: We will email you updates on the Tween Traffic Safety Initiative, letting you know about new insights gained or materials offered through the initiative.

Get the full story hear

February 13, 2005
(Original story released December 8, 2004)

NHTSA to require lap & shoulder belt in center rear seat positions

Lap shoulder belts will be required in all front-facing and rear-facing rear vehicle seats, in vehicles weighing less than 10,000 pounds. The rule will become effective September 1, 2005. It will not apply to side-facing rear vehicle seats or front inboard positions. Manufacturers and others may petition for reconsideration of this rule until January 24, 2005.

This rule is part of the Congressional mandate given to the Secretary of Transportation in Anton's Law.

January 20, 2005

Mineta Announces Study -- Estimates Lives Saved by Safety Features

Nearly 329,000 lives have been saved by vehicle safety technologies since 1960, U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta announced today. A new study by the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicates of all the safety features added since 1960, one – safety belts – account for over half of all lives saved. The study also says government-mandated safety standards have added about $839 in costs and 125 pounds to the average passenger car when compared to pre-1968 vehicles. "The Department has worked diligently to reduce highway deaths," Mineta said. "Thousands of our friends, neighbors and family members are alive today because of these safety innovations." According to the study, the number of lives saved annually increased steadily from 115 per year in 1960 to nearly 25,000 per year in 2002. "These reports showcase the achievements of NHTSA and the automotive industry," said NHTSA Administrator Jeffrey Runge, MD. "Vehicle safety technology is truly a lifesaver, especially the simple safety belt." The study examined a myriad of safety features, including braking improvements, safety belts, air bags, energy-absorbing steering columns, child safety seats, improved roof strength and side impact protection, shatter-resistant windshields and instrument panel upgrades. It did not evaluate relatively new technologies like side air bags and electronic stability control systems. Assessing the costs, NHTSA estimated that safety technologies cost about $544,000 for every life saved. They added about the same cost to a new vehicle as popular options like CD players, sun roofs, leather seats or custom wheels. The complete reports can be found at:

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/regrev/evaluate/

NHTSA 01-05
Contact: Rae Tyson, Tel.: (202) 366-9550

Booster Seat Discount Coupons!

The Washington State Booster Seat Coalition once again has coupons available for $5 off any Cosco BOOSTER seat at Target Stores. The coupons good on either a high back or backless booster seat are good through July 31 2005 and are redeemable ONLY at Target Stores in Washington State.

Orders for up to ten (10) coupons can be placed through the www.boosterseat.org or www.800bucklup.org websites or by calling either of Washington's toll-free Child Passenger Safety Resource Lines (English: 1-800-BUCK-L-UP or Spanish: 1-877-7TU-VIDA).

To order coupons in quantities larger than 10 at a time please direct requests to Katharine Fitzgerald at Children's Hospital (206)987-5245 or by email at katharine.fitzgerald@seattlechildrens.org

NHTSA announces new Northwest Region Law Enforcement Liaison

The Northwest Region of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is pleased to announce Mr. John Moffat is the Northwest Regions new Law Enforcement Liaison.

He can be reached at;
NHTSA, Region X
3140 Jackson Federal Building, 915 Second Avenue, Seattle, WA 98174
telephone (206) 220-7648 or 7640, or E-mail john.moffat@nhtsa.dot.gov

Mr. Moffat previously served as Governors Representative for the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.

CPS Advocates and Instructors

The Lifesavers planning committee is asking for workshop suggestions from CPS technicians, instructors and traffic safety advocates. If you have an idea for a Workshop, the submissions are due by October 18th.

The committee is particularly interested in what specific technical issues attendees would like to have covered at the conference. They are planning a Photo display area and are looking for instructors who will be attending that will want to sign off technicians on their car seat installations at the conference.

Click here for a MS Word document that has more information about the conference and a link to the site for downloading more information. So many good CPS activities are happening in Washington it would be nice to see some of them highlighted.

September 17 2004

Buckle Up America news alert

[Reprint of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration press release]

SEATTLE, WA * A record 80 percent of Americans wear their safety belts while driving or riding in their vehicles, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta announced today during a visit to Seattle. The Secretary, while visiting Seattle's Harborview Medical Center, said the number of Americans wearing their safety belts has increased dramatically over the past few years.

"The Bush Administration's unprecedented focus on highway safety has produced a record high percentage of Americans wearing their safety belts and a record low fatality rate," Mineta said.

In the past four years, safety belt use has increased steadily from 71 percent in 2000 to 80 percent this year. The 80 percent safety belt usage will save 15,200 lives and $50 billion in economic costs associated with traffic related crashes, injuries, and deaths every year, Mineta said.

The Secretary said the success was due in large part to states that have passed primary safety belt laws. Twenty-one states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have primary safety belt laws that allow police officers to stop a motorist solely for not wearing a safety belt.

The Secretary chose to visit Washington for the announcement to tout its success, noting 94 percent of the state's citizens buckle up. Washington passed a primary seatbelt law in 2002 and experienced a 9 percent reduction in overall traffic fatalities since the law was passed, he said.

"It's no coincidence that because 8 out of 10 Americans are wearing their safety belts, we have also achieved the lowest traffic fatality rate on our Nation's highways since record-keeping began 29 years ago, "Mineta said.

Today's traffic fatality rate is 1.48 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, a dramatic reduction since 1975 when the rate was 3.35 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled.

Recognizing that wearing safety belts saves lives and reduces risks of injury and even death, Secretary Mineta, while at Seattle's Harborview Medical Center, met with emergency room staff from the hospital who specialize in trauma injury treatment and prevention.

Secretary Mineta was joined by National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator Dr. Jeffrey Runge and Dr. Frederick Rivara, Director of the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center also joined the Secretary for today's announcement.

The safety belt report is available on NHTSA's web site at:
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/
Traffic-Safety-Facts/Research-Notes/SeatBelt-Use-2004/

For more information about Buckle Up America, visit
www.buckleupamerica.org

August 13, 2004

Washington State's seat belt use!

The Washington Traffic Safety Commission has just announced that Washington State's seat belt use rate, according to the observational survey completed in July 2004, is 94.2%

Attention Child Passenger Safety Advocates!

Due to limited access of technician and instructor e-mail addresses available from the internet, the KIDZ IN MOTION, INC. (K.I.M.) Planning Committee respectfully requests your help in distribution of this information. Please distribute this information to all the technicians, instructors and CPS advocates you know.

If you have received this information from a source other than the Planning Committee e-mail address and would like to receive future information concerning the 2005 K.I.M. Conference, please e-mail the Committee at kimconf@hiwaay.net with "Subscribe" in the subject line. If you would like your e-mail address removed, likewise e-mail the Committee with "Unsubscribe" in the subject line. Due to financial constraints, the Committee is unable to mail information to technicians and instructors via the U.S. Mail at this time.

A little history - Last summer the K.I.M. Conference Planning Committee made a formal announcement on the CPSlist serve presenting our ideas to the CPS community. The Conference was, also, announced in the SAFE RIDE NEWS publication last Fall. We solicited your suggestions and support, regarding revival of an annual National Child Passenger Safety Conference. We are once again reaching out to you, to keep you involved in the process of creating a conference based upon your needs. With your support and direction, we can bring this "idea" to fruition in August of 2005.

Quick FAQs

• Why 2005?
  Developing a national conference has been and continues to be a huge undertaking and commitment of both time and finances. Several wheels had to be set in motion, including creating an entity to accommodate the financial flow that the K.I.M. Conference will require. KIDZ IN MOTION, INC. was officially incorporated in the state of Florida on September 30, 2003 and was notified by the IRS on April 15, 2004 that KIDZ IN MOTION was successful with our application for 501c non-profit status.
• How will the conference be funded:
  The Planning Committee is aggressively pursuing unique sources of financial support for conference expenses with consideration being given to the very high cost of food and beverage, audio-visual rentals, conference room rental charged by the hotel and other expenses involved in planning and provide a national conference.
• What can you do:
  Your help is vital to the success of this effort. When signing a conference contract, a deposit is required. Along with the deposit are payment agreements set at predetermined intervals from the time of signing until the conclusion of the conference. The Planning Committee has considered numerous funding sources to cover the initial and subsequent deposits required by the hotel contract. It became clear to us that the CPS community will have to be financially supportive of this conference for it to become a reality. Hence, we are providing the following information for your consideration:

The K.I.M. Conference Request:

Please be advised that costs for food and beverage and audio-visual rental services at any hotel are very high. Here are some projections based upon a thorough search of hotels in the Orlando area; cost of meals for 1000 participants is $80,000 a day, well over $200,000 for the two and one half day conference. Audio-Visual rentals are estimated at $50,000 for the duration of the conference.

Below are a few facts for your consideration:

• Donations are tax deductible. Every donation to the K.I.M. Conference, Inc. brings the conference closer to a reality.
• Donations of $25.00 to $325.00 will be credited to your conference registration in 2005. Contributions are not limited to the above but are just two suggestions we felt might be feasible to many.
• Do you know of potential funding sources? Please send this information to the KIM Planning Committee.
• Corporate contributions from individuals or corporations that you are able to secure will be compensated with recognition at the conference. This includes but is not limited to: a logo posting in the agenda, signage at strategic locations in and around the conference, discounts for attendees from the donor organization.
• Checks can be made payable to KIDZ IN MOTION, INC. and sent to KIDZ IN MOTION, INC., 5424 Conway Pointe Court, Orlando, FL 32812.

The Planning Committee would greatly appreciate all donations be accompanied by an email address. If you do not currently have an email address, there are many sites that offer a free email account.

Sites such as Hotmail (http://login.passport.net/uilogin.srf?id=2) or

Yahoo (http://mail.yahoo.com/) offer email accounts. Please secure an email account prior to making a donation. We want to provide you with the most up-to-date information about the conference and provide you with electronic verification of your donation.

5-25-04

One-Time Funding Supplements for 2004 Head Start Transportation Needs

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Head Start budget for fiscal year 2004 appropriates an increase of approximately $107 million over 2003. The new funding increase will be used primarily to provide all grantees a cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) of 1.6 percent. A small portion of the 2004 increase will also be used to strengthen Head Start training and technical assistance services.
(Get the whole story here)

Child passenger safety advocates!

Mark your calendars and start putting money regularly into your piggy bank! It has been several years since a National Conference was held focusing only on Child Passenger Safety. Visit this link www.kidzinmotion.org to learn more from about the Child Passenger Conference being planned for August of 2005 in Orlando, Florida! This site will provide the latest information on presenters, workshops and family attractions that can help you combine your vacation plans for next summer with learning more from some of the nation's top child passenger safety programs.

2-14-04

Dummies, The Next Generation!

Five years after safety campaigners killed off Vince and Larry, the affable crash dummies who demonstrated the perils of failing to buckle up, a new generation of spokesdummies will appear on television in the next few days.

The new dummies are children, too big for baby seats but too small for the three-point adult belts that cross the lap and the shoulder. The new dummies have no names and are shown with loving parents who read to them, take them swimming and bike-riding and carry them on their shoulders. The message: "Parents shouldn't treat children like crash dummies."

Read the whole article here

2-05-04

No more Shield boosters!

Kathy Weber, retired from the University of Michigan School of Medicine has been updating NHTSA's Book of Manufacturer's Instructions through Dec 2003 as a consultant to SafetyBeltSafe USA. A representative of Dorel/Cosco informed her they have ceased production of the Grand Explorer (small shield) booster seat as of the end of 2003. This means there are no moreshield boosters being manufactured in the U.S.

1-29-04

Britax Husky recalled

Britax recently issued a recall on their Husky forward facing child safety seat for a change in the method of installation when using a lap-only seat belt.. When tested, the seat failed head excursion when a lap-only belt is threaded using the serpentine belt path. Consumers are being told NOT to use the serpentine belt path to install the seat with a lap-only seat belt.. Parents who contact Britax will receive new stickers for their seat showing the new installation method along with new pages that stick over the current pages of their instruction booklet.

Click here to read and download the replacement pages.

1-18-04

Head Start Extends Deadline for Transportation Regulations

WASHINGTON, D.C. - With the deadline for 45 CFR 1310 Head Start transportation regulations looming, the Head Start Bureau published today an interim final rule extending the requirement of child safety restraint systems on each vehicle and the requirement that each bus have a bus monitor June 21, 2004.

Under the interim regulation, grantees are also provided the option to request an extension to not later than January 18, 2006 to comply with the requirements. Grantees would have to demonstrate that this extension is in the best interests of the Head Start children.

A full copy of the interim final rule can be accessed at: http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/
edocket.access.gpo.gov/2004/04-1096.htm

9-30-03

Older Children Less Likely to be Properly Restrained

Older children (ages 8 through 15) who have outgrown their booster seats are
less likely to be properly restrained in seat belts, are being placed in the
front seat at alarming rates, and are experiencing high fatality rates,
according to a new report issued today by a group of
safety organizations. More...